10 live-action remakes of comic book movies we can’t wait to see!

While everyone loves to see their favorite comic book characters up on the silver screen, some of these movies either didn’t do our heroes the justice they deserved the last time around, or the aging technology used to make them leaves us with something more to be desired today. Lucky for us, there’s always a new company looking to make some money off the reboots of our beloved stories. Even if they didn’t start out as comic characters, their adventures in graphic novels over the years have us excited to check out their remakes expected to hit theatres soon.

The Fantastic Four

A relatively disappointing franchise, the 2005 version of Fantastic Four received a 46% rating from viewers from Rotten Tomatoes, and the sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, didn’t do much better with a 51% rating.

So far the announced cast for the 2015 remake is made of fairly unknown actors, the only noteworthy names being Kate Mara as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, and Michael B. Jordan as The Human Torch. The signing of Jordan as The Human Torch has already gotten the movie some pre-filming buzz, as the character has always been portrayed as caucasian in the past. No doubt the star of Friday Night Lights and The Wire will be able to bring a much-needed, refreshing twist to his new character.

The Crow

On a tight budget of $23 million, 1994’s The Crow was moderately successful and well received. The movie was surrounded by controversy after the accidental death of star Brandon Lee due to a firearm malfunction while filming. After the actor’s passing, the film was passed along from different production companies before Miramax bought the rights. The 1994 version is also starting to show its age, mainly because of the sets and camera work, rather than the special effects.

As long as the new production company is able to prevent any similar on-set catastrophes, their likely larger budget is sure to help make the 2015 adaptation a success. So far, there have been some strong names rumored, to be involved, including Norman Reedus as James, and Luke Evans as Eric Draven.

Akira

Maybe we’re just being naive in believing that this movie could still happen one day, but director Jaume Collet-Serra did make a statement earlier this year saying that he still wanted to reboot the animated adventure into a live-action film.

Since the concept was announced in 2011, Collet-Serra has hit a lot of roadblocks along the way with budgetary constraints and getting studios onboard with the unorthodox film.

As far as how he will approach the film, Collet-Serra says, “It’s different, because you have to be respectful of the source material. Otomo adapted his own work from a manga into an anime and both things are completely different and genius. The only way to do a live version of “Akira” is to take the spirit and adapt it. It will be as different as the anime was from the manga.”

There has yet to be any announcements on a script, or cast, but we’ll stay hopeful.

Spawn

Director, writer, and producer Todd McFarlane is going on the record saying that the 2014 Spawn reboot will be nothing like its 1997 predecessor. He also acknowledged that the first movie’s shortcomings were due to “a novice production team, primitive special effects technology, and being ‘a little bit ahead of the curve’ vis a vis the whole superhero movie thing.” These are issues that the new production crew won’t have to deal with given the rise in superhero-based movies today.

So far fans know that the “titular Hellspawn” will be played by Jamie Foxx, but further details on the cast and a specific release date have yet to be announced. While we’re hopeful that McFarlane and Foxx can breath new life into the franchise, McFarlane’s jokes about the movie being extremely low-budget are cause for some concern.

Todd McFarlane’s Spawn is set to be rebooted with Jamie Foxx in the lead role.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes

Most of the filming for Nickelodeon’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot has all but wrapped, we’ve only gotten a glimpse of what is to come from the short trailers and movie spots. The Los Angles Times is reporting that “The movie mutants appear to take after the gritty characters from the original comics, created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in the early 1980s, instead of their goofier counterparts, made famous in the animated TV series that ran from 1987 to 1996.” It seems difficult to tell the exact angle the movie will take from the short promos, but perhaps they’ve seen more than the rest of us.

The star-studded cast includes Whoopi Goldberg as Bernadette Thompson, Megan Fox as April O’Neil, and Will Arnett as her cameraman, Vernon Fenwick. Viewers might also recognize the voice of Johnny Knoxville as Leonardo and Tony Schalhoub as the voice of Splinter.

Terminator

Set to premiere in the summer of 2015, Terminator: Genesis isn’t going to be short on talent in front of or behind the camera. The cast includes stars such as Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, and Sandrine Holt, as well as J.K. Simmons and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Behind the camera, director Alan Taylor, (Thor: The Dark World, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire) will be joined by award-winning director, producer, and writer James Cameron.

Originally announced as a sequel to 2009’s Terminator Salvation starring Christian Bale, plans began changing once the films production company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. After changing ownership several times, the rights to the Terminator franchise finally rested in the hands of Paramount Pictures, who decided to reinvent the film as a starting point for a new trilogy.

Hopefully, even with all of the controversy behind the scenes, the movie will be able to bring back some of the quality and excitement of the original Terminator trilogy.

Van Helsing

Opinions were generally split on the 2004 adaptation of Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman. However, even those that loved the film have to admit the movie is starting to show its age when compared to the graphic and animated abilities available to films today. The 2015 remake could be very successful if it followed a similar story, and took advantage of the production technology available, but one decision could have audiences hesitant to get their hopes up…

Picture Box Films made an interesting statement in their Van Helsing review, highlighting the idea that sometimes even regardless of plot, people are generally enjoy seeing Hugh Jackman in a project, which could have aided in some of the positive reviews gained by the movie the first time around. For the new movie, Universal has decided to cast Tom Cruise as the lead. An interesting choice to follow Jackman’s performance, because Cruise has fallen slightly out of public favor over the years. Never the less, it will be interesting to see his take on the iconic character.

Godzilla

The last Godzilla adaptation was listed as #15 on Time Magazine’s “Top 20 Worst Summer Blockbusters” in 2011. Director and co-writer Roland Emmerich blamed the poor execution and subsequent lack of enthusiasm the film generated on a “rushed filming schedule spurred by the desire to make a Memorial Day release.”

This year’s version is set to be released the week before Memorial Day weekend with a budget increase of $30 million more than the last film. It seems as though director Gareth Edwards isn’t allowing the same mistakes to be made. In an interview with Shock Till You Drop, Edwards stated, “no one will do anything but the right thing. Without addressing anything specific, everyone knows how important is to get it right.”

It’s not surprising that this reboot has the least amount of enthusiasm from fans. Metro even published an article explaining five reasons why remaking the franchise was entirely unnecessary. But Sony Pictures is still moving forward with the project, hoping to give it the same gritty, dark edge that Christopher Nolan was able to bring to The Dark Night trilogy.

Peanuts

The idea of a new Peanuts movie gives many fans mixed feelings, as some, including the original Charlie Brown voice actor Peter Robbins, feel a reboot could cheapen the franchise. The beloved tales of Charlie Brown and his friends fill the airwaves with heart-warming stories during holiday seasons. Classics such as It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas have become staples for celebrating the season.

Peanuts is set to be released in 2015 in both 2D and 3D platforms, but there are still many unknowns about the film. Director Steve Martino has been involved in modern animated comedies such as Horton Hears a Who but handling the classic Peanuts gang would be a new challenge for him. The voice-over cast has also yet to be revealed. Will whomever is chosen to play Charlie be able to capture his gloomy but hopeful disposition perfectly? Or will audiences see a reinvented version of their childhood chum?